Saturday, April 26, 2014

A while back I was asked to write a series of articles of around 800 words, to reflect on the nature of being a Christian leader with Cancer. They are really just a summary (of sorts) of what is contained in this blog.
The articles are nearing completion; three have been published.
I share them here with you...one at a time.

Article 1 Beginnings

The nurses are all smiles and chat when I wake up. "You
are still in the operating room.Your
biopsy is done, and the doctor will be right back to have a word with
you."
"How are you doing old boy?.... Things went well. "
A little pause. The doctor looks at me to make sure I am getting it.
"You have a tumor. There some
things we have to do. We will start with
an MRI, and decide on treatments. I
might be getting ahead of myself here, but we both know what this is." Another pause:" Let's wait for the pathology and MRI results, and I'll see you in the
Cancer Clinic. "

The MRIrevealed the location and size of the tumor , and spots
and shadowson mylungs and neck. While these turned out to be
of no concern,the pathology confirmedstage three cancerat the base of my tongue and throat.Within a short time I was registered at the
Cancer Clinic , and learned the raw details:
"The tumor is Cancer . It's a large one"
"We honestly don't know how this is going to go."
"Surgery means we will remove your tongue and most of your vocal cords."
"Your best option is Chemotherapy and Radiation.
"If it doesn’t work, we are not burning the bridge. We can do the
operation later, but believe me surgery is your very last option.”

That week I was scheduled to attend the General Synod of Our
Church.
Now I preparing for a different journey.
Off we went, reflecting on everything
that had happened up to this point . After some family time and discussions, we
began to let everyone know what was going on.

I am blessed in the Parish I serve. There are many stories
to be shared of the love, compassion and faithfulness of the Church through my
illness and treatments. From the very beginning I resolved to share everything
that was about to happen on a regular basis with the Parish and the larger
Church.

I suppose the reasoning and motivation for this was
simple.First of all, I love the Church,
and as a Priest, called and ordained, I know my responsibilities of witness and
teaching. Secondly ,I am experienced enough in the Valley of Shadows to be able
to point out to people some of the "Sightings of Grace" that I had experienced
there . I began a blog, and was able to continue writing throughout the whole
process. "Sightings of Grace in the Valley of the Shadow", was my
chosen metaphor. It was shared online, and published on paper for Church
members who did not have internet access.

I had no idea of how dark, terrifyingand demanding this walk was going to be. The
doctors and nursesbegan, as best they
could, to prepare me for what was to come.
Every part of my Physical Mental and Spiritualbeing would be tested and threatened by death. The treatment had to be aggressive if I
was to have a chance .The duration and
dosage of Chemotherapy was far above that considered normal or safe. One of the
Doctors in Gander insistedthat I get a
feeding tube which would allow nutrition to be pumped directly into my stomach.It saved my life.Extensive Chemotherapy and Radiationburned my neck and throat. I could no longer
swallow, drink or talk; eight months without food brought me from 200 pounds
down to 89. The journey includes more thanchallenges to physical health. Cancer demands
control over daily affairs, personal finances, family, Church andministry.

I have always tried to encourage many hurting people to
"Leave it to God and trust His perfect will." The prayer I wrote
before beginning treatment was:
"Come Lord, and gently lay your hands on my body and my heart. Come Lord,
I trust you with my loved ones and my affairs. Come lord, and use my weakness
to Bless your Church".
There were days and nights when that prayer seemed unreachable. It can be tough
to separate beauty from ashes when you are badly wounded. I'll let you know how
it went.

About Me

My Journey has taken me from Being the Rector of St. Martin's Cathedral in Gander, to becoming the Bishop of the Diocese of Central Newfoundland.
I have been serving this Diocese since 1990.
Husband of Karen,Father of Chanda,Elissa,Lacey and Ashton,and Grandfather of Joshua,Emma and Delilah, Zachaeus and Teghan.